This invention relates generally to software objects that are portable across multiple applications and application versions.
The creation of business content (e.g., reports, business process, etc.) is usually closely tied to the application specific object model and application programming interface (API), thus making it extremely hard to port business content from one application to another. Usually, the business content must be rewritten for the second application.
Additionally, changes to the application, due to maintenance, customer customizations and/or version upgrades, must be propagated to every single business component affected by the changes. Therefore, the porting of business content from different versions of the same application also often requires a rewrite/update of every single business component.
The process of developing business content for an application usually involves defining the functional requirements of the business content and the implementation of the business content using the application's defined object model and API thus creating a strong dependency between the business content functional definition and its implementation.